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California Goes Legal: Updated List of Open Adult-Use Stores

How to find a licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary in California? That may be tougher than you think.

Temporary licenses from California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control, which took effect Jan. 1, had gone out to nearly 200 stores by the end of January. The bureau is updating that list of retailers daily, and we’re tracking the list in the table below. The licenses aren’t absolute guarantees that those stores will be open, but it’s the best information we have at the moment. Click through on the live link to find store hours and, in many cases, full menus of the product available.

We’re also tracking California’s major cities and noting how they’re handling retail cannabis. Some major cities and counties are allowing and licensing retail stores; others are banning all cannabis companies outright. Our list of major cities starts below the table of pre-licensed retail stores.

Note: Local ordinances often determine opening dates and times. Oakland, for instance, allows 6am openings while in San Jose 9am is the earliest opening time. Our main piece of advice for those who want to enjoy the excitement: Please call ahead, and confirm your local store’s hours of operation.

Torrey Holistics employees, Matt Sullivan, left, and Taron McElroy, arrange jars of cannabis in San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. On Thursday, California issued its first batch of business licenses for the state’s upcoming legal marijuana market, setting the stage for sales to begin to adults in January. The first license for recreational retail sales went to Torrey Holistics in San Diego. (AP Photo/Julie Watson)

Top 15 California Cities and Their Laws

Here’s a list of the largest California cities and a few other notable locations.

1. Los Angeles: Allowing retail cannabis stores, but they won’t be licensed by Jan. 1. The first shops are expected to open shortly thereafter. NOTE: Adult-use stores in West Hollywood opened on Jan. 2.

2. San Diego: Retail stores are now open.

3. San Jose: Retail stores are now open.

4. San Francisco: Adult-use stores are expected to be licensed and open around Jan. 5.

7. Long Beach: Long Beach is currently licensing medical cannabis dispensaries but not adult-use retail stores. The city is drafting an ordinance that could license and regulate adult-use retail stores by June 2018.

13. Stockton: The city has approved four medical cannabis dispensaries within the city but is not yet allowing retail adult-use stores. City officials will study the issue and tailor ordinances and regulations in later 2018.

14. San Bernardino: Measure O, which passed in November 2016, authorized the city to regulate both medical and adult-use cannabis. But lawsuits have delayed implementation. Retail stores are likely in the future but probably won’t be open on Jan. 1.

15. Modesto: The Modesto City Councilrecently voted to allow as many as 10 retail cannabis stores, but it’s unclear when they’ll open.

Other Municipalities:

Arcata: The city is finalizing its retail cannabis regulations and expects to approved operating permits for two adult-use retail stores–Humboldt Patient Resource Center and Heart of Humboldt–in downtown Arcata, but it’s unclear when those stores will open.

Berkeley: Retail stores are now open.

Cathedral City: Many retail stores are now open. Cathedral City may have the most licensed adult-use retail stores per capita in the entire state.

Crescent City: The city prohibits all cannabis businesses, but is part of a county working group considering new regulations that may allow some form of cannabis commerce in the near future. Look for a proposed new ordinance sometime in 2018.

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Rio Vista has a licensed retailer (see list above), but we’re not sure if they’ll open on Jan 1. Best bet is to call them. Solano County, as well as Vallejo and Vacaville, currently have temporary bans in place on all commercial adult-use cannabis operations, but all three are in the process of crafting regulations on the issue. If you want your local municipalities to allow retail sales, get involved now! Contact your local county and city reps and let them know how you feel. It really does make a big difference.

HappyTruth

Orange county will have no retail stores? What a f joke OC is.

Mark G’Beer

medical marijuana dispensaries, on the other hand….

Skylar

OTOH, places and municipalities that do ban it now, won’t in the future, when they find out the revenue they will be losing out on. It’s just a matter of time before that’ll change, but don’t be afraid to get your legal weed in a neighboring county, to show them you aren’t afraid to do so. Good luck! 🙂

Bruce Barcott

Wording is tricky when it comes to California municipalities. Santa Ana has plenty of retail stores licensed and now open. “Orange County” means retail stores are banned in the unincorporated portions of the county. Santa Ana can do what it wants.

Jackson Shredder

They got em. Just not listed. Try Santa Ana/Newport Beach.

Majestichealer

The folks that run places like harborside are the antithesis to what small farmers have been creating in the California’s cannabis scene for years. Harborside and DeAngelo have used their lobbying powers to lobby the state to get rid of the 1 acre cap in the middle of the night while no one was watching. This would destroy all those people’s who threw their lives on the line for so many years to fight for legalization. Now these guys are stepping in and squashing the small farmer by getting rid of that 1 acre cap. We as small farmers will not be able to compete with the shadyness of these entities. We the people should rise up and get educated on the going On’s of these entities and ban together as consumers to protest. Promise not to shop at these facilities. Together we can stand strong against the powers that be. Lawsuits have already been filed to return the 1 acre cap. It’s what we all thought we voted on when we voted for proposition 64.

Aaron Duda

I agree… the far nor cal farmers do Have a leg up with Humboldt counties agricultural commission certification program.. this pilot program follows each plant from inception and documents and tests it nutrients,mediums, pesticides and they all must be organic for the counties seal of approval.. no one else can prove their legitimately organic.. yeah send away to have your stuff testedf from some random lab. !! Joke!!they have no power!!! nothing is or will be better than a county program that will increase the value of your herb and protect the consumer from harmful chemicals and port growing techniques.. proving once and for all when the local county government gets it together and sees $$$$$ and are willing to invest in their $$$$ in their community to make money we have a chance to push this greedy pigtailed ganja bully out of the popularity of the people and greasing palms in the bay will come to an end!!!we must still look at this and try our best to keep this growing movement going smoothly and being grateful and gracious to each other.. we will win even more battles gain even more momentum!! 1 love you my brothers and sisters!!! Stay vigilant humble and fight on!!!🏆💚♻️ 🇯🇲

Jackson Shredder

I agree. It’s a shame that they are making it hard on the small farmers. I would love to support the small farmers instead of the corporate heathens any day of the week.

Vanna

What about Santa Rosa or Concord?

Bruce Barcott

Best bet is nearby Sebastopol, with two stores open, above.

Excuse me

Are prices quoted all tax included?

Skylar

Usually they do include the marijuana tax into their total. I know OR and WA does, and I believe even CO does as well, but it wouldn’t hurt to call them ahead of time, to be sure, but no, the sales tax usually isn’t included in it, to my knowledge, but again, check on that if you wish, before you go there. Good luck though!

I’m going to be visiting Apple Valley at the end of January. What’s up in the high desert?

Bruce Barcott

San Bernardino County is a tough one. The county currently has a ban on retail cannabis sales, and to our knowledge no incorporated municipality within the county is allowing retail sales. Sorry. Stores are now open in the Los Angeles area, and retail sales are also allowed in Nevada.

ed

what is the problem with Ventura ? Guess they want to keep the black market going and keep us under a police state

stuckintree

Never forget. Ventura is mainly a cowboy town at the beach. Fully stocked with good ole boys….

Isabella Monarch

What about Marin County?

George Kawman

ANNCANNMED has extremely potent products at good prices too. Recommend this dispensary to anyone looking at Cannabis for help!!

Jakub Levine

Hey, thanks for this extensive list! I hope it gets longer in the near future 🙂

Question, do you guys know where I can find a list of licenses that have been refuted, state by state? All help and comments are welcome 🙂